TNA Gut Check

[shattered dreams]

Step 1: Bring in indy wrestlers no one has heard of to job to mid-card stars.
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Profit!

The total lack of enthusiasm here says everything that needs to be said about TNA/IW Gut Check. The people that are given to defending TNA/IW at all costs are saying "give it time" or "it was a start". IDR, who'll support TNA/IW in every way he can if he can be honest about it, has kept silent, and I can't blame him. We all know that the first installment of Gut Check didn't live up to the hype; it flat out Sucked. If I wanted to see mid-card 'stars' squash people I've never heard of, I'd pull out the VCR and watch some early-90's RAW.

There's always time to retune the concept. But people aren't going to give an eighth of a shit about this if it involves no-name wrestlers getting beaten by people they hardly care about as it is.

I look at it like a version of tough enough or whatever you want to call it where the main flaw of that format is taken out. In something like tough enough you can't really capitalize when the iron is hot because the guys aren't ready. Here they are doing it with people at least capable of stepping right in if they can catch on. It won't be good every week but that isn't the goal. The goal is to try some stuff out with new wrestlers and if they catch something on then you have weeks of something fresh to work with. It wasn't good last week but it worked this week. A different variation of this worked with Crimson.

It wouldn't surprise me longer term if the goal is to find a few guys and have them competing to try and make a name for themselves on impact while there is a different show where they are judged on what they do on impact and worked with on improving by Flair, Snow, Bruce etc. I think that could prove to be a solid way to develop new talent and even if these guys aren't name brand I think the approach is interesting enough that there is an audience for it.